Sausage rolls and vol-a-vents were flying everywhere and grown men grappled with one another at the bar.
I never did find out what caused the problems but it didn't really matter. The fact is it turned out to be one of the most memorable weddings I had ever been to and one we have talked about for years.
That's what weddings are about aren't they? Relatives getting drunk and acting in the most embarrassing manner. For while the bride and bridegroom might be truly, madly, deeply, the chances are the two families have little in common.
You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family (or your partner's family for that matter) which is what Coleen McLoughlin is apparently discovering. The national papers claim she has banned most of Wayne Rooney's family from their lavish June wedding in Italy.
A lucrative Hello deal has been secured for the four-day event and only 60 people have been invited. Is that because some of the Rooney's don't make the Hello grade? This we are told is one of the reasons Coleen is marrying abroad to get away from some of her soon-to-be relatives. But wait one minute. She might still claim to be working class but this behaviour smacks of someone with lofty aspirations whose head has been turned by all those big money endorsement deals.
Don't get me wrong I like the girl but I believe she shouldn't let her new found status turn her into an out-and-out snob.
Some of Wayne's relatives might not be posh but surely it's a case of love me love my relatives. Weddings are supposed to be family affairs but Coleen has sold her soul. Hello is paying good money for a fashion shoot and that's what it will get.
One wonders if any guests over a size 16 will be on the pictures!